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On June 18, 2020, ex-chairman of Belgazprombank Viktar Babaryk and his son, Chief of Staff Eduard Babaryk, were detained on their way to the CEC to submit collected signatures for the nomination of Babaryka Sr. as a presidential candidate in Belarus.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the detention, Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya and her team recorded a video in support of Viktar Babaryka and his team, in which they tell their personal stories about Babaryka's team and express their warmth and support to Viktar Babaryka and “wonderful people who worked, are working and will be work with him. "
Viktar Babaryk was sentenced to 14 years in prison in July 2021.
According to opinion polls, the former banker had the highest electoral rating among all presidential candidates in the 2020 elections, including Lukashenko.
His son has not been tried yet, Eduard Babaryka is still in jail.
He is officially charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Persecution of Viktar Babaryka.
What is important to know
Viktar Babaryk is accused of “laundering” funds obtained by criminal means (under Part 2 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code) and receiving a bribe in a particularly large amount (under Part 3 of Article 430 of the Criminal Code).
He faces up to 15 years in prison.
There are 122 volumes in the criminal case of Belgazprombank.
The trial began on February 17.
The case is being considered by the Supreme Court in the Maskouski district court building.
On March 22, Babaryka's defense objected to the charges, as their description did not provide a sufficient understanding of the actions of the accused Babaryka, the lawyer Dzmitry Laeuski said.
He also noted that the indictment does not describe the incriminated actions, indicating the time, place, manner and other circumstances of their commission.
The lawyer asked to attach to the case file a document outlining the "defects of the accusation."
Viktar Babaryka does not admit guilt.
Chronicle of persecution
On June 10,
Alexander Lukashenko instructed to conduct inspections of private companies that allegedly fire those who refuse to sign for the nomination of alternative candidates.
He ordered "to bury these pot-bellied bourgeoisie so that they would be responsible for the people."
On June 11,
Belgazprombank and a number of other companies, acquaintances of potential presidential candidate
Viktar Babaryka
, were searched.
The State Control Committee has stated that criminal proceedings have been instituted for money laundering and tax evasion on a particularly large scale.
Viktar Babaryka called it an attack on him personally, although he was not involved in the case at the time, and stated the "political nature" of the actions of investigators who have no direct compromising information against him.
On June 11,
Babaryka's election headquarters coordinator Sviatlana Kupreeva was arrested on charges of large-scale tax evasion.
On June 12,
Lukashenko stated that Babaryka was also involved in the case, saying "it is a gang."
Four hours later, the State Audit Office stated that it had evidence of the former banker's involvement in the crimes.
About 20 people became participants of the Belgazprombank case.
On June 15,
the National Bank appointed an interim administration headed by
Nadezhda Ermakova
at Belgazprombank .
Russian shareholders of the bank (Gazprombank and Gazprom) called the decision illegal.
On June 17,
authorities arrested Viktar Babaryka's election fund with 100,000 rubles in an account without explanation.
On June 18,
Viktar Babaryka and his son Eduard Babaryka, the head of the initiative group, were detained.
The houses of the Babaryk family were searched.
The head of the SCC Ivan Tertel called Babaryk a "direct organizer" of a "fraud scheme with money laundering" with the participation of former and current top managers of "Belgazprombank".
On June 19,
human rights activists recognized Viktar, Eduard Babarykau, and detained members of the initiative group as political prisoners.
Babarika's headquarters has prepared 435,000 signatures for delivery.
On June 20,
lawyers submitted a package of documents to register Viktar Babaryka as a presidential candidate.
On July 2,
it became known that Babaryk was charged under three financial articles of the Criminal Code.
On July 14,
the CEC denied registration to Viktar Babaryk due to inconsistencies in his income and property declaration.
On October 10,
Lukashenko met with Viktar Babaryk and other political prisoners in the KGB detention center.
On February 17, 2021
, the trial over Viktar Babaryk and former employees of Belgazprombank began.
None of the independent journalists was allowed to attend the trial.
On July 6,
Babaryk was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Judge Ihar Lubavitski handed down the verdict.
Babaryka pleaded not guilty, his defenders once again stated the political motives of the case.
On July 12,
it became known that Babaryk had been transferred to Navapolatsk.
On October 12,
several people detained in the Belgazprombank case were released from detention centers.
They changed the measure of restraint, but other details of the case are unknown.